


A List of Unusual Behaviors Contributed to...?

by FaithWarrior



Series: The Bug in the Belfry [4]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Bruce Wayne is Matches Malone, Friendship, Gen, Habits, MariBat, Maribat Bio Dad Bruce Wayne Month
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:34:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26285035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaithWarrior/pseuds/FaithWarrior
Summary: For Bio!Dad Bruce Wayne Month 2020 Day 4: Habits.All of her friends knew Marinette Dupain Cheng was a little odd. At this point they had an ongoing list to keep track of the little oddities Marinette displayed in day to day life. This is one such list.
Relationships: Batfamily Members & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marc Anciel & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Classmates
Series: The Bug in the Belfry [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1905886
Comments: 25
Kudos: 685
Collections: Maribat Bio!Dad Bruce Wayne Month





	A List of Unusual Behaviors Contributed to...?

All of her friends knew Marinette Dupain Cheng was a little odd. None of them had met her until late in elementary school and she was tight lipped about her life prior to that. She had an unusually casual relationship with her parents, or adopted parents?, and she was generally known to be out of the country for part of the summer and most school vacations. 

Marinette was really into fashion and surprisingly knowledgeable about heroes and world events despite seeming disinterested. She was a happy person but not someone you wanted to mess with. And Marinette had some very unusual habits. These were things that came with Marinette, and at this point her friends were aware of her quirks. Well, most of her friends were.

  1. Marinette always has at least one backup plan, if not more.



Adrien and Kagami were shocked when Marinette encountered them on one of their ‘rebellious escapes’ from fencing practice. They weren’t shocked that they ran into her, considering that they hid themselves in the ally behind the bakery, but rather what she did when she found them.

Marinette had magically met the two in the alley and after making sure the path inside was clear Marinette ushered them into the building and up to her family's apartment. Marinette had quickly swapped their fencing bags for an assortment of accessories and clothing items that changed their appearance.

She stuffed Adriens blond hair into a beanie hat and gave him a pair of glasses with clear lenses. His Gabriel brand jacket was exchanged for a gray sweater that looked really soft and fit the mild fall weather outside. She also made Adrien change into a pair of brown suede shoes rather than his iconic orange Gabriel sneakers. When Marinette was finished Adrien happily looked like a nerdy history professor.

For Kagami Marinette was equally prepared. Leaving Adrien in the kitchen to gather some items for a light snack Marinette dragged the other girl up to her room. Once the two girls were there Kagami was directed to change into a soft pair of red leggings before being handed a brown dress that fit perfectly and fell to mid thigh. Marinette gave her friend a cream colored jacket for the chill and redid her hair into a simple updo with strands framing her face. A tiny change in makeup and Kagami was sent downstairs to join Adrien in the kitchen.

As the two heirs ate a light snack they processed their shock only to be surprised again when Marinette entered the room in her own disguise. Marinette had paired a soft blue sweater and brown skirt with a cream scarf and matching leggings. Held in her hands was a pair of brown boots and a light blue purse similar to her usual bag. Marinette had left her hair down but added a delicate looking clip of blue and cream flowers to hold her hair out of her face.

“Ready to go rebels?” Marinette had asked cheerfully. At their shocked faces Marinette snorted. “You may not look like yourselves but there is no way the two of you would know how to blend in on your own. Both of your behaviors are too distinctive.” 

“She has a point. We are both lacking in our awareness of societal norms.” Kagami confirmed as she cut off Adrien's attempt at an argument.

“Exactly, consider this afternoon your first lesson from Marinette's crash course in being a civilian not a famous person.” The girl ta-da-ed with wide arms.

The rest of the day was spent with Marinette gently coaching her two friends on how to blend in and still have fun acting like normal teens around Paris.

2\. Marinette's Coffee is sacred.

Alya has been growing increasingly concerned. Everyday this week Marinette has come to class with a tall container of black coffee, strong black coffee. She then proceeds to finish the entire cup prior to the end of first hour and reappear with a fresh cup after lunch.

The rest of the class, minus Adrien who is oblivious, seems unperturbed by this occurrence. The only indication that they are aware of Marinette's increased caffeine consumption is the wide birth they give her in class and the increased offers of snacks from select classmates. 

Even Mille Bustier is asking noticeably less of Marinette during lessons, though she doesn't seem happy about it. 

By Thursday Alya is resolved to do something about her friend's zombie impersonation. After Marinette comes back to class with her midday coffee Alya snatches it and exchanges it with what she knows is Marinette's favorite tea for relaxation.

She completely misses the panicked looks around the classroom and Nino’s wildly moving arms telling her to STOP. She also misses a determined Alix skirt out of the room with a resigned look.

“Alya, where is my coffee?” Asks the deadened voice of her best friend.

“I got you tea. This much caffeine is not good for you Marinette.” Alya attempts to sooth the unhappy girl.

“I don’t want tea, I want my coffee Alya.” Marinette practically growls.

Alya might have been dismayed by the unusual tone, but she was stubborn. “No Marinette.” Alya says before dumping the offending drink into the trash by the door.

Gasps come from the majority of the class as most of the students slowly back away from the altercation.

Marinette looks like an avenging angel with the fierce expression on her face. “I have two big commissions, one essay, an exam, and life to deal with by the end of the day. And now my life giving beverage has been discarded in favor of hot leaf juice.” She is definitely growling towards the end of her statement.

Alya is beginning to regret her plan. Thankfully Nino is slightly more prepared to defend his girlfriend than his terrified expression conveys. 

“Nettie, dudette, let's just take a deep breath okay.” Nino talks like one would to sooth a rabid beast.

Marinette does not seem placated by her friends' words. Her eyes narrowed and her body seemed tensed for an attack.

Just before it seems like the small girl might leap at her best friend Alix charges into the classroom. The pink haired skater holds a cup of coffee and pastry over her head victoriously. “I’ve got coffee.”

The effect is instantaneous. Almost immediately Marinette is in front of the other girl and taking the coffee from her before inhaling deeply from the steam.

“Thats right Nettie, I also got you a chocolate croissant.” Alix soothes. Alya recalls the other girl being one of the ones to supply Marinette with snacks throughout the week.

While the skater distracts the almost feral designer Nino extracts Marinette's belongings and switches her over into the seat next to Alex near the back of the room. He moves next to Alya and lets Mylene scoot in next to Adrien.

“Lets go sit down Nettie.” Alix continues to sooth as she escorts Marinette up to the newly arranged seats.

Alya is left staring in shock as Mille Bustier seems to take in the arrangement with a sigh upon entering the room.

Nino pats her back in comfort before cautioning. “Never get between Marinette and her coffee.” In a memorable tone.

Alya can only nod and hope she retains something from the day's lesson. Thankfully her boyfriend takes fairly good notes.

3\. Marinette has very specific Table Manners

The majority of the class was trying a new restaurant in the area for lunch. It was a rare treat for the group. Adrien was sitting next to Marinette at the table they were sharing with Nathaniel, Alix, Alya, and Nino. Alix was sitting on Marinette's other side while Nathaniel sat next to Nino. Their other classmates were at a table nearby.

Adrien was practically vibrating with excitement and nerves. Across from him Nathaniel briefly looked up from his open sketchbook.

“New experience?” The artist asked kindly.

“I’ve never had a burger before. Father says they are ‘barbaric and fattening’.” Adrien even used finger quotes to emphasize his statement.

Nathaniel laughed under his breath. “Well this place is supposed to use more lean and organic ingredients for most of their dishes, even the burgers. Also it may normally be ‘barbaric’ but it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Plus it really depends on the person and how you choose to eat it, messy isn’t always a definite requirement.”

Adrien tipped his head in confusion but smiled at his friends laughter.

“Wait and see. And don't worry about being uncomfortable. I don't think anyone in this group is necessarily normal.” Nathaniel then went back to his sketchbook until their food came by.

When their burgers were dropped off at the table Marinette requested silverware. Alix starts to giggle but is cut off by the other girl's elbow digging into her side.

“Could I have some silverware as well please?” Adrien tacked on politely before the server left the table. Better to be prepared he thought.

Nathaniel chuckled a little but the server handed them two sets of silverware.

Adrien watched his friends dig into their burgers as soon as the server left the table. He felt a little uncomfortable watching how casually they ate. It was okay to do that with pastries, or even as Chat Noir, but as Adrien he didn’t know if he could bring himself to behave that way. 

As he stared at his burger his thoughts were interrupted by the incredulous voice of Alya. “What are you doing girl?” She asked with such an aghast tone.

Adrien turned towards the girl next to him and saw that Marinette was eating her burger quite a bit differently than the rest of the table. Rather than picking up the burger and biting into it as one would with a smaller sandwich the small girl was using her requested silverware. Marinette was cutting her burger into smaller chunks and eating the little miniature pieces with her fork while keeping the bread and toppings together. 

“I forget that you haven’t known Marinette that long.” Alix commented wryly. “Girl always eats like this, unless it's tea sandwiches or pastries she always uses a fork.” 

Alya still appears dumbfounded by the new information. Although next to her Nino calmly continues to eat his own burger. 

Marinette primly raised her empty fork to gesture at her friend. “I prefer to eat this way. It's less messy and it means that my table manners don't become slack. At this point it's partially a habit, you could call it a family trait.” 

Although confused by her last statement Adrien is intrigued by his friend's behavior and lightly nudges her with his elbow. When Marinette turns towards him he whispers shyly. “Do you mind if I copy you? I don't think I’m comfortable eating with my hands.”

At his words Marinette's eyes soften from how she had addressed Alya’s questioning and her mouth ticks up in a smile. “Of course Adrien, If this makes you more comfortable I don’t mind at all.” She whispers back with a nod and a smile. “We’ll just be quirky together for today.” She offers. 

When both teens pick up their utensils and proceed to eat Alya’s quiet rant peters off. Alix and Nathaniel both look amused but with equal amounts of pride and understanding in their expressions. With Nino reeling in his girlfriend the table is able to finish their meals with relative peace. And eating his very first burger with friends isn't as uncomfortable as Adrien first would have expected it to be.

4\. Marinette has an Interesting Vocabulary.

Most of Mille Bustiers' class was multilingual. Some students knew only two languages while others were fluent in a great many. What the class was surprised by was that one of these linguistically talented individuals was Marinette, and that her vocabulary tended to be slightly more specific.

When Marinette Dupain Cheng entered their class she had the slightest hint of an American accent. The accent was gone in two weeks. Occasionally Marinette would forget a word or just start to ramble and switch into english, but not always. The girl would also frequently rant in Arabic, which Nino translated at times, or Cantonese. When Adrien started he was surprised to hear Marinette ramble on absently as she switched between so many languages. 

Even more unusually was the odd words or phrases thrown into her vernacular from other languages. After so many times getting lost in an absent minded Marinette's polylingual wake the class began to research some of these occasionally occurring words.

They found that Marinette occasionally threw in words in Spanish, Romani, and some English slang that they couldn't pinpoint. What no one told Mille Bustier was the nature of some of the occasional words.

To everyone's shock most of the Spanish words were curse words. The unfamiliar Arabic Nino learned was the same after being reprimanded at home. Marinette rarely swore in English after the first few times Mille Bustier caught her doing it, but she sometimes used the unknown slang words in a manner which made the class believe they were not graceful compliments or apologies. On the other end of the spectrum she tended to use Romani terms of endearment occasionally over the phone or while thinking out loud and behaved similarly with Arabic at times. Her Spanish was occasionally used during phone calls for teasing insults and arguments. 

After a time most of the class started asking whoever knew the language Marinette was speaking for a summary, and mostly guessing when no one was available. 

Alya was stunned by Marinette's extensive repertoire of insults in Spanish, though she said most of the idioms were slang that she was unfamiliar with. Alya said recurring phrases, outside of curses, included.

“You're as dirty as the water in the East bay.”

“Go kiss a Gargoyle.”

“So late Calender man probably stole your day.”

“Who do you think you are? The flying underpants boy scout?”

It was unusual to say the least. Their translations of other conversations were equally confusing as Marinette referred to people as ‘Brother’ in many of the different languages, and someone else as ‘Sister’ in Cantonese. 

What they came to realize though is Marinette may primarily speak these languages but they are not the only ones that she can understand. 

Kim was on the phone with his mother telling her that he had forgotten his lunch when Marinette came over and told him that he could join her at the bakery so his mother wouldn’t miss work. Kim had been speaking Vietnamese, he realized later that Marinette had responded in kind. 

Marinette would practice Mandrin with Adrien occasionally. Though she complained that it was rougher than her Cantonese. With Nino they would exchange notes about music in Arabic and Marinette would teach him more creative insults. Alya enjoyed whispering with Marinette during class in Spanish so the teachers wouldn't catch what they were saying. Even Chloe asked for help with her English since her tudors weren’t making any sense. Marinette told her even English speakers thought English didn’t make sense. 

Alix wanted to learn Romani to translate and learn about some of the artifacts in the museum archives. Marinette agreed as long as she could see the artifacts as well, claiming that someone she was close with would appreciate a gift that incorporated his culture. 

Max was shocked when Marinette gave him input on the code he had been working on in class. With no prior information the small girl highlighted the bug and suggested a sequence that would repair the issue.

When Marcov was activated the bot pointed out that most polyglots also had the potential to understand coding as it had similar logic to language. The bot also found some other things that Max quickly had buried out of respect for his friend and her privacy, and because he got a slightly concerning email the next day.

5\. Marinette Possesses an Unusual Fondness for Weaponry.

When Marinette joined the fencing team Adrien was a little skeptical about the whole thing. At first she was clumsy and obviously unfamiliar with the style of fighting. That changed pretty quickly. Within days Marinette was practicing as if she had been fencing for months, and she only improved further from there. 

One day before practice Adrien entered the locker room a little late due to a photoshoot. The only one still in the room was Marinette. She had all of her gear on and was standing by her weapons locker holding her saber. 

She was talking to the blade. It was a new Leon Paul blade in gleaming pink that she said was a gift from a family member.

“Such a pretty saber. Shiny and smooth.” Marinette was cooing like one would to a baby animal. “Imagine if you were sharp, how pretty you would be then.” 

Adrien decided that was the point where he should make his presence known and swung his bag into one of the lockers with a large clang.

“Oh, hey Adrien.” Marinette said in surprise, and probably with a little bit of embarrassment. “I’m just gonna head in there.” She said before zipping out of the locker room.

Adrien really wasn't sure what to make of the interaction.

***

Marinette and Marc were cousins. Apparently they were distantly related through someone named Matches Malone. The students weren’t exactly certain but the two treated each other like family and shared odd inside jokes every so often.

Everyone was also fairly certain that Marc was part of some sort of gang. Like 90% sure depending on the day of the week. For such a shy kid Marc could really get in someone's face when they were mad. And one day they brought a knife along to school to show Marinette. It was a matte black switchblade under the maximum length allowed at the school and it looked wicked.

“I want one.” Marinette told him. “Pink if you can get it.” Her words were crisp, as if she was placing an order for food.

Marc only nodded. “Signature light pink?” They asked while making a note on their phone. “Can you tell Matches that people missed him at the last potluck? Ma said her uncle was complaining about it during their last phone call.” 

Marinette nodded. “I’ll pass it along. Pretty sure something came up.” She seemed to be thinking. “It was two weeks ago right?” 

Marc nodded. “Yeah, Ma phoned her brother real quick to chat.” 

“Thats nice.” Marinette smiled. “Pretty sure Matches was stuck in BG at the time.” 

“Oh yeah.” Marc commented. “The break out was last week. Darn, better luck next time.” They put their phone away. “I’ll get you that knife, next week good?” 

“Perfect.” Marinette smiled. “I’ll get that reinforced bag to you by then as well. I’ve just got a few finishing touches to add and homework's been a beast.”

True to their word a week later Marc was sporting a new backpack embroidered with MightyIllustrator and Marinette was cooing over a light pink knife with her signature apple blossoms on the handle.

***

When career day came around again Officer Raincromprix was happy to come into the school for a speech. The man was always happy to impart the importance of being a responsible citizen to his daughters peers. It also gave him a good platform to discuss preventing littering with young people. 

He was stalled after his presentation by a small girl from his daughters class, Mari-something. The girl was asking very critical questions about his favorite tools on his belt and how they worked. As he showed her each device the girl listened attentively. And when he was done she thanked him and said that she was curious about how his tools differed from what her family in law enforcement used. Then she disappeared into the crowd of school children. 

Roger left the school very confused.

***

Kagami was surprised when Marinette asked to join her for kendo training. Her mother was pleased and said that having a friend that was interested in Kagami’s skills was a good thing. Tomoe also seemed to believe that teaching another may improve Kagami's training experience. Both Tsurugi's were surprised by the reality. 

Marinette was not an expert at kendo, but she had at least minimal training and tended to utilize moves that were unconventional and at times a bit dirty. The two teens could go on for minutes on end and though Kagami won the majority of matches Marinette was quickly moving to match her as they continued to meet up for training. 

The girl explained that she had exposure to many types of martial arts but had not trained heavily in any one discipline for an extended period of time. Working with Kagami was a nice refresher and allowed both girls to spend time together without difficulties planning around Kagami's training schedule. 

Kagami was also pleased by her friend's enthusiasm when she showed Marinette her family's collection of ancient and modern weaponry. Marinette was as enthralled with the glittering of the sharpened edges as Kagami had always been. 

It was nice having a friend who understood her passions.

6\. Marinette is a terrifying person when you mess with her.

Marinette Dupain Cheng should really come with a warning label. At one point there had been one but it quickly became obsolete. Marinette was a wonderful sweet individual that showered gifts on her friends and saw the best in everyone. 

But you Never mess with her. For the most part she was good natured and rolled with the punches. Until you crossed the line. Many had tried determining what the point of no return was for Marinette, but it changed. The person's willingness to change contributed, which is probably part of the reason she never blew up at Chloe. What was done to anger Marinette was usually more potent if someone else was affected in the process. And the number of offenses.

For the most part Mille Bustiers class and the rest of the school just tried to stay on the right side of Marinette's uncrossable line. 

Noone warned Lila or Hawkmoth about Marinette Dupain Cheng. Most people found themselves not regretting that fact. 

7\. Marinette can Take Someone Down.

Lila was the first to fall. Her tower of lies built up so high that Marinette gleefully blew it over. With a simple visit of Jagged Stone and his pet alligator the class realized that they had been hoodwinked. Unfortunately for Lila she dug her grave deeper by willingly going after an akuma only to be taken down by none other than Marinette Dupain Cheng. 

With the offender in a pile on the floor Marinette told officers that they might want to question Lila regarding Hawkmoth. (Ladybug arrived at the station that evening with a similar idea, and proceeded to conduct the least violent and most terrifying interrogation that many had ever seen. In less than an hour the Paris police department was opening a classified case into Hawkmoth: Suspected Identity Gabriel Agreste.)

Marinette Dupain Cheng dropped off a file folder of evidence at the police station the next morning detailing the need for CPS involvement in the case. Siting the mans emotional abuse and neglect of his son as reasons along with violations of child labor laws. Investigators added it to the folder. Marinette smiled, her friend would not go down for his father's crimes if she could help it.

A week later Gabriel Agreste was arrested for terrorism with a laundry list of other offenses including child abuse and conspiracy to commit murder. (Ladybug told them about the wish and it's cost.) Nathalie Sancoeur was arrested along with her boss, though Adrien Agreste and his personal bodyguard were cleared of all charges.

Marinette might have a long list of unusual and unconventional habits, but most ignored that. After all, no one wants to cross Marinette Dupain Cheng no matter how interesting her past may be.

**Author's Note:**

> AN: The last few on this one were kinda hard but I think it turned out okay. I don't think this one will have a continuation due to it being a different style than I usually like to write, and it isn’t as Obviously Maribat unless you know some of the inside jokes from the Batfamily stuff. But this is where inspiration led me and it is a fickle beast. Hope you guys liked it despite the lack of Bruce and the boys ‘on screen’. They are there if you look for them but they hid this time. Don't worry they’ll be back tomorrow in all their wonderful chaotic glory.  
> Jokes/reff to look for if you missed them: 1. Marinette knows how a rich kid can either be spotted or blend in. 2. Coffee is life for her and her brother Tim. 3. Bruce eats his burgers with a fork and knife. There's a comment made by one of the boys that he was raised by the butler. There's a comic, it's cute, but I don't know how to find it. 4. The bat boys speak diff languages. Spanish is her talking to Jason, they exchange insults to bond. Arabic is Damian. Romani is Dick because of his parents, and Tim can speak several but probably defaults to english plus they program together. Tim or Babs are probably the ones who caught Marcov and Max 5. She's a bat, she likes weapons. Matches Malone is an alias Bruce uses that is a member of a crime family. Marc is part of a gang, is an interesting headcanon in MLB. 6. Marinette needs a Warning label is a running joke in MLB. 7. Batman is terrifying, and a Wayne is a strategic menace in business.


End file.
